Men’s D1 Hockey Wins Weekend Series Against University of Pittsburgh

The Liberty Men’s Division 1 Hockey team took to the ice to face off against the University of Pittsburgh Feb. 14-15 for a weekend sweep.  

This weekend marks the second time the Flames have swept the Panthers this season. Their last meeting resulted in 6-0 and 11-0 final scores. The first game of the weekend was full of love for Valentine’s Day as the Flames gave the gift of an 8-3 win to their fans.  

Game two had a slower start than the day before and saw more fight than on love day. Between the pipes for Liberty stood junior goalie Nicholas Bernstein for his first game of the weekend while junior goalie Grant Lindsay entered his second for Pitt.  

The Panthers started the game off strong, but sophomore defenseman Nick Pomerleau was able to net the first goal of the game off an assist from senior forward Jacob Kalandyk 11:36 into the first period.   

The remainder of the first period was slow with the score at 1-0. Things started to heat up for the Flames as junior defenseman Grant Morton picked up a five-minute penalty for fighting and a 10-minute game misconduct that resulted in him being ejected. Freshman forward Kal Essenmacher was chosen to serve Morton’s five minutes.  

Despite the man disadvantage, freshman center Hayden DeMars was able to score a shorthanded goal with an assist from freshman left wing Liam Cox-Smith. Pitt junior winger Edward Pazo collected the team’s fourth penalty of the game which put the Flames on the power play.  

Sophomore forward Mason Smith saw the opportunity to net his first goal of the game and was able to score on the power play. Smith’s goal came off an assist from junior forward Sam Feamster and junior defenseman Laz Kaebel. The second period concluded with the Flames holding their lead 3-0.  

Pitt junior center Nate McNamara picked up his first penalty of the game early in the third period. Even with their man advantage, the Flames could not produce a point. The Panthers’ junior defenseman Brady Rotolo gave the Flames another shot on the power play with his penalty, but the Flames failed to profit.  

Feamster and Pitt freshman forward Devin Knause both received penalties for roughing, resulting in 4-on-4 play. Pitt junior defenseman Aidan Foster followed with a roughing penalty of his own, which lowered the number of men on the ice again. Liberty, even with the man advantage, could not manage to put one in between the pipes.  

With the clock winding down, Pazo was able to score the Panthers’ lone goal to avoid a shutout. The Flames claimed the victory with a 3-1 final score for a weekend sweep.  

“Our PK (penalty kill) was excellent tonight; we had different guys step up into PK rules, and that was good,” Head Coach Kirk Handy said.  

This weekend against Pitt preceded the season’s final series where the Flames will face off against Ohio University.  

“I think about this week every year. I think about … I want to do everything we can to honor the guys who have given everything that they can to our program on and off the ice,” Handy said.  

The last series of the season against Ohio will be held in the LaHaye Ice Center Feb. 21-22 with both games starting at 7 p.m.  

Schlösser is the asst. sports editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X.